The year 2004 in Ukraine ended in political turmoil in connection with the presidential elections that took place in late October through December. In late 2003 a bill to change the constitution to give more authority to the parliament over the president had been initiated by Pres. Leonid Kuchma’s chief of staff, Viktor Medvedchuk, and Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko. The bill anticipated the election of the president directly by the parliament. On March 5, 2004, the parliament accepted a first draft of a law that would introduce a system of proportional representation for parliamentary elections, but on April 8 the draft constitutional reform bill fell just short of the required 300 votes.

The Constitutional Court also paved the way for a possible third term for President Kuchma by dating his presidency from the entry into force of the constitution in 1996. By mid-April, however, Kuchma’s supporters in the parliament had agreed to nominate Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, a former Donetsk governor, as their presidential candidate, clearly with the president’s backing. Our Ukraine leader Viktor Yushchenko emerged as the chief opposition candidate, backed by Yuliya Tymoshenko, leader of the Tymoshenko bloc.

Spring and summer saw an apparent victory for Our Ukraine candidate Viktor Baloha in the election for mayor in the city of Mukachiv in Transcarpathia overturned in favour of Ernest Nuser, who was supported by Medvedchuk and the United Social Democratic Party, and the use of skinhead thugs to attack Our Ukraine supporters. A government inquiry later overturned Nuser’s “victory.” In June, Investment-Metallurgical Union, the company of the president’s son-in-law, was allowed to purchase Kryvorizhstal, the country’s largest steel producer, at a price of about $800 million, believed to be less than one-fifth of the market value.

The election campaign saw impediments put in the way of Yushchenko, including physical prevention from campaigning in Donetsk and other eastern cities. In early September Yushchenko had to interrupt his campaign after he became ill with what was termed “acute poisoning.” The illness became a campaign issue as Yushchenko’s face became disfigured and pockmarked. Russia took a partisan stance during the campaign. Yanukovich was invited to Moscow to celebrate Pres. Vladimir Putin’s birthday on October 7, and Putin made two visits to Kiev during the elections.

Twenty-four candidates ran in the first round on October 31. The Central Election Commission (CEC) initially put Yanukovich slightly ahead of Yushchenko, 39.88% to 39.22%. Ten days later, when counting was recommenced, however, Yushchenko’s portion rose to 39.87% and Yanukovich’s fell to 39.32%. The runoff round saw Yanukovich and Yushchenko in a direct contest. Though exit polls suggested that the opposition leader led by about nine points, the CEC announced that Yanukovich had won, with 49.42% compared with Yushchenko’s 46.7%. These results were recognized by Russia and Belarus but not by the EU or the U.S.

Yushchenko’s supporters maintained that the results were fabricated, and mass protests began in Kiev’s Independence Square on November 22. Tymoshenko called for a nationwide strike. The protesters pitched tents along Kreshchatyk, the main street, and blocked entrances to government buildings. Several provinces, particularly in western Ukraine, recognized Yushchenko as the winner, and the candidate was sworn in as president in an informal session of the parliament. Gradually the television stations formerly controlled by Kuchma, as well as security and military leaders, switched support to the Yushchenko campaign. Meanwhile, in Severodonetsk a meeting of leaders of eastern Ukrainian regions recognized Yanukovich as president and postulated a referendum on whether these regions should become autonomous and eventually secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

The impasse continued for two weeks. On December 3 the Supreme Court declared the election results to be invalid and ordered a rerun of the second round. For their part the Yushchenko supporters agreed to recognize the main points of the constitutional reform bill that would limit the powers of the president, reform local government, and elect the parliament by proportional representation. The CEC was replaced and an agreement made that the rerun would be monitored closely by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Tensions rose again on December 12 when doctors in Vienna confirmed that Yushchenko’s blood contained levels of dioxin that were more than 1,000 times the norm and concluded that he had been poisoned at the early stages of the election campaign.

On December 26 the runoff election was held, and preliminary results revealed Yushchenko as the winner. Yanukovich, however, legally challenged the results, and the matter was not expected to be resolved until early 2005.

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